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Severe tingling/itching whenever body heats up. Cannot sweat

Posted , 47 users are following.

robert00172
robert00172

I have this strange new problem that just started happening to me recently. I don't sweat anymore (except under my arms) whenever I get hot. Instead my body becomes severely itchy and I get a full body tingling/pins & needles sensation. It is extremely painful and spreads through my body in a lightning type of pattern. It happens every time I get hot, nervous or physically exert myself. It evens happens if I laugh too much. It seems that in every situation where my body would normally sweat I don't anymore. I also notice when this happens my whole body becomes red and small bumps appear all over my arms and chest area. What I'm assuming is that this is some severe case of clogged sweat pores but all over my body instead of one specific place. Are there any doctors out there that know what this is and/or know of any medications that can open up sweat pores? Cold showers do not work. I am a 20 year old male.

3 likes, 82 replies

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  • amr9923
    amr9923 robert00172

    Posted

    Hello Robert,

    I'm 21, I had had the same disease as you since 2015 when I started to feel that strange feeling on my skin in the arms mostly, and my inability to sweat normally or hardly sweat. I thought it was a normal skin sensitivity at that time, but it just got worse, this itchy feeling increases mostly in cold days and as you said any actions such nerve boosting activities or even laughing hard increases this needle feeling on my skin, it feels like I cannot sweat anymore till now even if I exercised, and my body feels burning from inside still. I thought showering in hot water would decrease the symptoms but its no use, i tried to go on a healthy diet and exercise more but that didn't work for me, if you reach any solution please tell us

    • robert00172
      robert00172 amr9923

      Posted

      Hey Amr,

      Sorry to hear you've been experiencing this disease for so long. Unfortunately I haven't found any solution. The only thing I have been doing consistently is exercising which you say feels as if it's not working. However, I would encourage you keep doing so anyway. Try to exercise in a really hot room for an extended period of time while staying hydrated. Don't push yourself too much or get injured but try to keep exercising until you feel like you're sweating, even with this disease you can still sweat, but it might take more effort. If you feel the pain coming on fight through it as much as you can until you start to sweat. Keep in mind that even though this condition is painful it can't actually hurt you or do your body any harm. Let me know if you need any advice and good luck

  • mikey_nguyen_
    mikey_nguyen_ robert00172

    Posted

    Hey Robert,

    I don't know if your still on here, but I am a 19 year old male, and I have been suffering from this for a few years. My dad said that he suffered through something similar to this when he was young, but he said he outgrew it; so it could be hereditary? But, it's great to see another person who has been through this as well. I've read through your other replies and have seen that you were able to overcome this disease through exercise. I exercise almost daily but rarely sweat, so I plan on trying out your plan! My question is, what exercises did you do and did you do them outside in the sun or inside? I hope this works for me! Thank you!

    • robert00172
      robert00172 mikey_nguyen_

      Posted

      Hey Mikey,

      I'm sorry to hear that you're suffering from this too. I am glad your dad got better from this, although there is no history of this in my family so I cannot speak to it being hereditary, but I am not a doctor so I could be wrong.

      As for exercising, it will work! The same thing happened to me in the beginning, I was barely sweating or not sweating all, I was just experiencing pain. Eventually I started sweating and now I can sweat in a hot room mostly normally with minimal pain, so you will get there. Since I wasn't a gym person at all when this started (and I'm still not) I work out at home using just a pair of dumbbells. You can look up dumbbell only workouts online but I was doing exercises such as: Curls (different variations), Presses (different variations), Stiff Legged Deadlifts, Dumbbell Rows, Lunges, Dumbbell Squats, Front and Lateral Raises and so on. Try to be consistent and also mix it up every now and then. For example, if you feel like an exercise isn't really working push yourself to do a few more reps/sets or do a different exercise that targets a different part of your body. Also, use heavier dumbbells if you start feeling like the current ones you have are too light (But don't over exert yourself or go too far because you could get some serious injuries).

      As for where I worked out, it depends on your climate or housing situation. If you have individual thermostats for each room I would find a good room to workout in and turn the heat all the way up. If you don't have temperature control you could buy a space heater fan which would achieve the same thing. If you can't do either and you live in a warm climate (or have warm seasons) then yes you could also workout in the sun, probably in your backyard or in a park. Wherever you workout though try to stay hydrated while you do, hopefully you will sweat and you will need to replenish all that water you are losing, otherwise you might get dizzy or have poor performance.

      Hopefully I was able to help. Good luck with your exercising and hopefully you will get better soon! Let me know if you have any more questions.

    • mikey_nguyen_
      mikey_nguyen_ robert00172

      Posted

      Hey Robert,

      Wow, thank you for the really fast reply. I have one more question: how long did it take before you started to see results? I am starting my new routine today, so wish me luck! Thanks!

    • robert00172
      robert00172 mikey_nguyen_

      Posted

      Hey,

      It was a long and gradual process. To be honest I don't really remember exactly when I started to see results. For me, every time I did exercise and sweat a significant amount I would be nearly pain free for probably the next day or two before it came back. If I consistently did exercise every other day I could be nearly pain free for a week or longer. It's definitely about consistency but every body is different so I can't say how your body will react to the sweating and how quickly you will feel better, but hopefully it works fast for you. Good luck on your routine!

  • Yaron
    Yaron robert00172

    Posted

    Hi,

    I suffer from the same condition and find your 'exercise' advice very helpful. Thanks.

    Question 1: Do you find that the condition tends to flare up in the fall?

    By the way: There is a medical condition called Dysesthesia with similar pins and needles sensation.

    • robert00172
      robert00172 Yaron

      Posted

      Hey Yaron,

      I am sorry to hear you are suffering from the same condition but I am glad to see exercising works for you. Yes I can definitely say that the pain is worse in the fall. I think it is due to the colder weather and the fact that it is harder to sweat or perspire when it's cold so your body isn't as used to it. In the summer you get hot and sweat more often so it takes more to feel pain. But this is just my experience and I am not a doctor of course.

      And I've looked into Dysesthesia and it shares some similar symptoms but I don't think that's what we have.

  • vikram61981
    vikram61981 robert00172

    Posted

    Hey Robert,

    I hope you're doing better now. I really appreciate your post! I'm 19 years old, and I started experiencing these pins and needle sensations a couple of months ago. I first noticed that I would experience them after returning home (when it was very cold outside), and concluded that it was a result of sweating or a raise in body temp. (I would also experience it when working out or when I was nervous). I had a few questions about Cholinergic Urticaria because I'm not sure if I have it or not.

    1. Usually my symptoms subside in under 5 minutes. How long do your symptoms last?
    2. I can't see any rashes on my body. When I scratch my body, my skin turns red (naturally), but I do not see distinct rashes. Do you always see rashes on your skin?
    3. Were the pins and needles sensations more intense during the winter? In Winter, I would have more intense symptoms, but now (in Summer) I experience these sensations more frequently but of less intensity.

    Since I occasionally have numbness and twitching, I may (don't think so, but possible) have some sort of nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy or B12 deficiency).

    Responses from everyone are welcome and appreciated!

    Thanks!

    • robert00172
      robert00172 vikram61981

      Posted

      Hey Vikram,

      Thank you for the sentiment and sorry to hear that you've been experiencing this problem recently. As for your questions:

      1. Whenever I get an attack of pain it usually subsides in under a minute. That being said, over the years I've learned to suppress the pain and expect it and know how to react. So in the beginning, a few years ago, it lasted a few minutes because I didn't know what was happening or how to stop it.
      2. If the attack of pain I get is severe, which usually happens if I haven't worked out/sweat in a while, then I always see those red bumps on my skin and I get red all over. But if the pain is less severe and just mild then I won't always see that. But it seems like most people who have this experience the bumps and redness so if you don't it's possible that it's a less severe case or not Urticaria at all.
      3. For me it is more intense in the winter. I actually recently answered a question above where I explained my reasoning. I think it is due to the colder weather and the fact that it is harder to sweat or perspire when it's cold so your body isn't as used to it. In the summer you get hot and sweat more often so it takes more to feel pain.

      As for the numbness and twitching I can definitely say I have not experienced either of those symptoms so I can't answer as to whether you may have some sort of nerve damage or not. I would highly recommend you consult with a doctor, if you are able, because these could be symptoms of another medical problem not related to Cholinergic Urticaria.

    • vikram61981
      vikram61981 robert00172

      Posted

      Thanks a lot for your speedy response Robert! You've helped so many people on this platform!

      Most of our symptoms match I guess. Your reasoning about the Winter/Summer thing sounds pretty solid. Based on your reply, I think I do have Cholinergic Urticaria, but I'll see a doctor nonetheless. One last question, do your rashes/bumps/redness appear once you feel the sensations or only after you scratch your body?

      Thanks in advance!

    • robert00172
      robert00172 vikram61981

      Posted

      Hey,

      The bumps and redness only appear when I have the pain and go away when the attack stops. They appear by themselves and I don't have to scratch to make them appear.

  • hu27937
    hu27937 robert00172

    Posted

    Hi all,

    I am glad that I found this thread because I have the same symptoms and it's ongoing for 6ish months now. I was diagnosed with cholinergic urticaria as well - but I think there is more to it. I am here to share my experience as it seems to be getting better.

    At the beginning I just had the burning itch - instantly when my body temperature went up and lasted depending on the circumstances 1-10 minutes. Then I started having the rash - a general skin redness on my upper body. This made me think about having some kind of allergic reaction and indeed there seems to be a connection - exercise can induct or make allergy worse.

    As being well familiar with allergy I have systematically started to eliminate food and chemicals around me - it's an ongoing process, but my laundry detergent definitely made it worse so that can be a good place to start.

    Then some foods. Over the weeks I identified 4-5 food types that can have an impact as well. Soon I am going to be tested, my GP sent me to do a blood allergy test, we shall see.

    Also B complex as suggested here seems to be helping - will try to get a deficiency test as well.

    Interestingly antihistamine doesn't have a lot of impact so it's a bit confusing but my educated guess is that a lot of factors are in play.

    Anyway nowadays i have a very mild itcy when I work out but definitely want to fully figure out so it won't come back.

    • mashm888
      mashm888 hu27937

      Posted

      @hu27937 how r u doing now? is B12 helping? anything your physician said?

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